Use Smart Filters to automate your content management, sorting and tagging workflows.
Before you begin
- To work with Smart Filters, you need to be a member of the Account Administrators or Content Managers user groups, or hold the relevant permissions under the Smart Filters parent permission.
About Smart Filters
It's easy to create great content experiences in Uberflip, but of course that also means that the more content experiences you create, the more time and effort you need to put in to maintain them all.
Smart Filters help to reduce that effort by automating your content management workflows. With Smart Filters, you can automatically select Items that meet criteria of your choice, then apply one or more actions like adding to or removing from Streams, tagging, etc. You can then choose to run the specified action(s) either anytime a specific event takes place, or simply on demand.
Create a new Smart Filter
To get started, create a new Smart Filter. You'll need to create individual Smart Filters for each specific task that you want to automate using this feature.
- Log in to Uberflip and navigate to the Hub where you want to create a Smart Filter.
- In the sidebar menu, click on Smart Filters:
- The Smart Filters management screen will appear on the right. To create a new Smart Filter, click on the blue +Add New Filter button near the bottom:
- This will open the Create New Smart Filter wizard, where you can configure your new Smart Filter.
Note: Smart Filters and multi-Hub accounts
If your Uberflip account contains multiple Hubs, keep in mind that Smart Filters are Hub-specific. This means that each Hub has its own list of Smart Filters that were created in that Hub, and that most of the configuration options for the Smart Filter will be relative to the Hub where it was created.
Note also that Smart Filters can be configured to apply across Hubs: for example, you can create a Smart Filter in Hub A that applies an action to Items in Hub B. In this case, remember that the Smart Filter will still only appear in the list of Smart Filters in Hub A (where it was created), not in Hub B.
Configure a Smart Filter
The Create New Smart Filter wizard allows you to configure how your Smart Filter will work. It consists of three steps:
- Search: Set the criteria that define which Items in your Hub(s) the Smart Filter will apply to.
- Action: Define the action(s) that will be applied to the specified Items.
- Settings: Choose when your filter will run, and give it a name.
Step 1: Configure search criteria
You begin by selecting the Items that your Smart Filter will apply actions to. You do this by setting criteria: any Items that match all of the specified criteria will be selected by the Smart Filter.
On the Search screen, use the Add Criteria dropdown menu below Filter items that match the following criteria to choose and configure criteria for your Smart Filter:
You can use any (or all) of the following criteria:
Located in
All Items located in:
- Any source Stream,
- Any non-hidden Stream, and/or
- One or more specific individual Streams
The specified Stream(s) can be in the current Hub, or any other other Hub in the account.
- Use the dropdown menus to select a Hub and Stream(s).
- To specify multiple Streams, click on Add more streams, then use the Item found in dropdown to choose whether Items must be in any or in all of the selected Streams.
Title or description match
All Items that contain one or more specified text strings (of one or multiple words).
- Type the text string(s) to be matched into the text box.
- To specify multiple text strings, click on Add more text, then use the Title or description contains dropdown to choose whether any or all of the text strings must be matched.
Tags match
All Items that have one or more specified tags.
- Start typing in the text box to see available tags in an autosuggest dropdown. Click on a tag to add it.
- To specify multiple tags, simply continue to add them to the text box. If you specify multiple tags, use the Item is tagged with dropdown to choose whether any or all of the tags must be matched.
Item status
All Items that currently have a specified status, any one of: Featured, Unfeatured, Visible, or Hidden.
Use the dropdown to select the desired status. With this criterium, you can only specify one status per Smart Filter.
Not located in
All Items not located in:
- Any source Stream,
- Any non-hidden Stream, and/or
- One or more specific individual Streams
The specified Stream(s) can only be in the current Hub.
- Use the dropdown menus to select a Hub and Stream(s).
- To specify multiple Streams, click on Add more streams, then use the Item found in dropdown to choose whether Items must be in any or in all of the selected Streams.
Title or description don't match
All Items that do not contain one or more specified text strings (of one or multiple words).
- Type the text string(s) to be matched into the text box.
- To specify multiple text strings, click on Add more text, then use the Title or description contains dropdown to choose whether any or all of the text strings must be matched.
Tags do not match
All Items that do not have one or more specified tags.
- Start typing in the text box to see available tags in an autosuggest dropdown. Click on a tag to add it.
- To specify multiple tags, simply continue to add them to the text box. If you specify multiple tags, use the Item is tagged with dropdown to choose whether any or all of the tags must be matched.
After configuring each criterium, click anywhere outside the configuration area (but still within the wizard) to "set" it on the Smart Filter. Successfully set criteria look like this:
Info
- You can only add one of each of the criteria to any Smart Filter, so you must specify all related conditions as part of the same criterium.
- You can add multiple criteria to your Smart Filter. If you do so, each additional criterium will be treated as an AND condition, i.e. Items must match all specified criteria to be selected.
When you're ready to continue, click on the Next button.
Step 2: Configure actions
Next, you set up the actions that your Smart Filter will perform on the Items selected by your search criteria.
On the Action screen, use the Add Action dropdown menu below When an item matches this search to choose an action for your Smart Filter:
You can add and configure any (or all) the following actions:
Add to Streams
Adds the selected Items to:
- All Marketing Streams,
- All Sales Streams, and/or
- One or more specific Marketing/Sales Streams
The specified Stream(s) must be located in the Hub where the Smart Filter was created.
Adding Items to a Marketing Stream with Stream sections
When using a Smart Filter to add Items to a Marketing Streams that has Stream sections, the Items will be added to the unsectioned area at the top of the Stream. There's no way to add Items to a specific section using Smart Filters.
You'll need to move the added Items into sections manually if needed.
- Use the dropdown menu to select a Stream.
- To specify multiple Streams, click on Add more streams.
Remove from Streams
Removes the selected Items from:
- All Marketing Streams,
- All Sales Streams, and/or
- One or more specific Marketing/Sales Streams
The specified Stream(s) must be located in the Hub where the Smart Filter was created.
- Use the dropdown menu to select a Stream.
- To specify multiple Streams, click on Add more streams.
Feature in Streams
Sets the "featured" attribute on the selected Items in:
- Their native (source) Streams,
- All Stream(s) in which the Items appear, and/or
- One or more specific Marketing Streams.
The specified Stream(s) must be located in the Hub where the Smart Filter was created.
- Use the dropdown menu to select a Stream.
- To specify multiple Streams, click on Add more streams.
Unfeature in Streams
Removes the "featured" attribute on the selected Items in:
- Their native (source) Streams,
- All Stream(s) in which the Items appear, and/or
- One or more specific Marketing Streams.
The specified Stream(s) must be located in the Hub where the Smart Filter was created.
- Use the dropdown menu to select a Stream.
- To specify multiple Streams, click on Add more streams.
Add Tags
Adds one or more specified tags to the selected Items. The tags must already exist in any of the Hubs belonging to your Uberflip account (i.e. must appear under the Tags menu).
- Start typing in the text box to see available tags in an autosuggest dropdown. Click on a tag to add it.
- To specify multiple tags, simply continue to add them to the text box.
Remove Tags
Removes one or more specified tags from the selected Items.
- Start typing in the text box to see available tags in an autosuggest dropdown. Click on a tag to add it to the text box (i.e. specify if for removal).
- To specify multiple tags, simply continue to add them to the text box.
- Note: This action will still remove specified tags from any Items that have some but not all of the tags listed in the text box.
Change Status
Changes the status of the selected Items to either Show or Hide.
Use the dropdown menu to select the desired status to be applied.
Delete
Deletes all of the selected Items from your Hub.
There are no options to configure for this action.
As with search criteria, click anywhere outside the configuration area (but still within the wizard) after configuring each action to "set" it on the Smart Filter.
Info
- You can only add one of each of the actions to any Smart Filter, so you must specify all related conditions as part of the same action.
- You can add multiple actions to your Smart Filter. In this case, the configured actions will be executed in the order in which they appear on the Action screen. The execution order is determined by the order in which the actions appear in the dropdown menu, not the order in which they are added. For example, if you first add a Delete action and then add an Add to Streams action, Add to Streams will appear higher in the execution order because it is higher in the actions dropdown menu.
- The exceptions are the Remove from Streams and Remove Tags actions, which will be added in the execution order above any Add to Streams and Add Tags actions (respectively) that are also present.
When you're ready to continue, click on the Next button.
Step 3: Configure settings and save
Finally, you set up the trigger event that will cause your Smart Filter to run, as well as give it a name and save it.
On the Settings screen, use the Select filter event dropdown menu below Filter runs to choose when your Smart Filter will be executed:
You can choose any one of the following options:
When an item is edited
- Whenever any user edits an existing Item that meets the search criteria
- Runs automatically
When an item is created or imported
- Whenever a new item is added that meets the search criteria
- Includes new items added by importing an RSS feed, or by any user creating a new blog post in Uberflip
- Runs automatically
When an item is created, edited, or imported
- Whenever any item that meets the search criteria is edited, created, or imported (i.e. a combination of the two trigger events above)
- Runs automatically
On Demand
- Whenever the Smart Filter's Run button is clicked (see Manage Smart Filters)
- Runs with manual activation only (no automation)
Next, use the Filter Name field give your Smart Filter a name that will help you to identify it in your list of Smart Filters:
By default, the Smart Filter will run for the first time whenever the specified trigger event happens next. If you also want to run the Smart Filter immediately on saving it, you can check the box next to Run on existing items immediately:
When you're finished, click on the Save button. The wizard will close and you will be returned to the main Smart Filters menu, where your new Smart Filter has been added to the list:
Manage Smart Filters
At any time, you can edit or delete any existing Smart Filter, as well as run it on demand and copy it as a template for a new Smart Filter.
- To manage your existing Smart Filters, navigate to the Smart Filters menu in the appropriate Hub (remember that this menu will only show Smart Filters created in the Hub you're currently in).
- Hover your mouse over the Smart Filter you want to work with. Additional buttons will appear on its right side:
- Click on the button for the action you want. These are:
- Run (circular arrow): Runs the Smart Filter immediately. This is how you run Smart Filters configured with the On Demand trigger event, but will also work for Smart Filters set to any other trigger event.
- Edit (pencil): Opens the Smart Filter in the configuration wizard so you can modify it.
- Copy (two pages): Creates a new Smart Filter and opens the configuration wizard with the configuration of the copied Smart Filter pre-filled.
- Delete (trash can): Deletes the Smart Filter from the Hub.
Edit an existing Smart Filter
You can editing existing Smart Filters to add new search criteria and actions, as well as modify or delete existing ones.
- Click on the Edit button next to a Smart Filter to reopen the configuration wizard.
- Each criterium or action configured on the Smart Filter displays an Edit (pencil) button and a Delete (x) button that appear to its right:
To edit or delete any criterium or action, simply click on the corresponding button. - After you make any changes, go to the Settings screen and click on the Save button to close the wizard and save your changes.